UNLV's Sweet Sixteen Dreams Derailed in Shocking UCI Defeat, Leaving Chances Out of Sight
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels coach Josh Pastner coaches his team from the sideline during the second round of a Mountain West Championship tournament game between the UNLV and Utah State on Thursday March 12, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev. Turns out the first year of the Josh Pastner era at UNLV will feature postseason play after all. On Sunday, while the Rebels missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the 13th consecutive year, they have been selected to participate in the NIT tournament.
UNLV will begin its NIT run against the UC Irvine Anteaters on Mar. 17 at 8 p. m.
local time. “We're excited to receive an invitation to the NIT and grateful for the opportunity to continue our season," Pastner said in a statement. "Any time you get the chance to keep competing with your group, it's something you appreciate.
For us, especially in our first year building this program, it's a great chance to continue our positive trajectory toward our larger goals. " It will be the second time in three years UNLV has participated in the NIT, advancing to the quarterfinals in 2024 before being knocked out by Seton Hall. They face an Anteaters team that will be feeling somewhat slighted, winning the Big West regular season title but seeing their tournament bid disappear after falling to Hawaii in the conference championship game on Saturday.
This matchup will be the first time since 2012 that UNLV and UC Irvine will face off, when freshman Anthony Bennett lead the then-24th ranked Rebels to an 85-57 rout. The winner of the game will await the winner of Tulsa and Stephen F. Austin in the second round, which will take place at a currently undisclosed location on either March 21 or 22.